1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that obtains contents from a Web server and displays the same on a display unit, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) is used in many cases in an environment where it is connected to a Web server via a network. Such an information processing apparatus obtains structured language files in HTML (hypertext markup language) or the like and image data files as contents from the Web server. The information processing apparatus displays, on a display unit, the contents obtained from the Web server using a Web browser incorporated in the information processing apparatus.
The display of such a Web browser has a region where contents obtained from the Web server are displayed. Also, the display of the Web browser has a region where a URL (uniform resource locator) address of a Web server from which contents have been obtained is displayed (an address bar).
On the display of the Web browser, a user can see a URL address displayed in the address bar to know a Web server from which contents being currently displayed on the Web browser have been obtained.
Also, in resent years, there have been some information processing apparatuses such as an MFP having a scanner and a printer (multifunctional peripheral) which are equipped with an incorporated Web browser. In such an MFP, contents from a Web server to which the MFP is connected are displayed on an operation display unit on the MFP.
However, the operation display unit on the MFP has a display screen small in size due to constraints in terms of chassis size and cost reduction.
For this reason, the display unit of the MFP is worse in visibility and appearance of contents as compared to Web browsers of typical PCs. Further, there may be a case where the display unit of the MFP obtains, from a Web server, an operation screen for performing operations relating to functions which the MFP itself has, and displays the same. In this case, the user is notified that the operation screen is a content obtained from the Web server because a URL address is displayed in an address bar. Namely, an address bar is displayed or hidden according to whether an operation screen held in advance in the MFP is displayed or an operation screen obtained from a Web server is displayed, and this may confuse the user.
For this reason, the display unit of the MFP may hide an address bar of a Web browser so as to widen a content display region even if only slightly, or so as to make the user unconscious that contents have been obtained from a Web server.
Moreover, among conventional image processing apparatuses such as a copier and a printer, there have been proposed those which provide control to hide an operating means including an address bar according to an instruction from a Web server. Regarding such image processing apparatuses, it has been proposed that an operation unit for screen transition including an address bar on a Web browser is hidden in response to a specific instruction sent from a Web server as a content obtainment source (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2008-186065).
However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that there is a problem of tempering with contents by so-called phishing or the like. For this reason, in the information processing apparatuses, emphasis is placed on displaying a URL address in an address bar so that a user can ascertain whether or not contents being currently displayed on the display unit have been obtained from an authorized Web server.
Further, in the information processing apparatuses, hiding an address bar gives a user a feeling of insecurity because he/she cannot ascertain whether or not contents being currently displayed have been obtained from an authorized Web server. Thus, in the conventional information processing apparatuses, even when contents from a reliable Web server are being displayed, an address bar is always displayed.
For this reason, in the conventional information processing apparatuses, a display region for contents displayed on the display unit is narrowed for display of an address bar, and hence all display items cannot be displayed on one page, which results in degradation of visibility.
Also, some of the conventional information processing apparatuses are able to hide an address bar in accordance with an instruction from a Web server. Such information processing apparatuses have the problem that when a malicious Web server sends an instruction to hide an address bar and poses as an authorized Web server, a user cannot know its URL address.